Apple iPad mini: 7.9 Inches, Lighter Than Nexus 7, $329

Apple has sold more than 100 million iPads in just two and a half years, and it's about to sell a lot more. The new iPad mini features a 7.9-inch display with a 1024 x 768-pixel resolution, which is the same resolution as the original iPad. This device is all about balancing portability and usability. It's just 7.2 millimeters thin and its 23 percent thinner than the 4th generation iPad. The device weighs .7 pounds, which is 53 percent lighter than the fourth-gen iPad.

The Wi-Fi iPad mini will ship Nov 2 for $329.

The Google Nexus 7, by comparison has a 35 percent smaller screen. (The Nexus 7 actually has a higher-res screen at 1280 x 800 pixels.) However, Apple went out of its way to show that Google uses stretched-out phone apps, versus apps that are explicitly designed for tablet use. Pandora and TripAdvisor are just two examples.

The iPad mini has an A5 chip, 5-MP iSight camera, LTE capability, a Lightning connector and up to 10 hours of battery life.

Responsible for the editorial vision for Laptop Mag and Tom's Guide, Mark Spoonauer has been Editor in Chief of LAPTOP since 2003 and has covered technology for nearly 15 years. Mark speaks at key tech industry events and makes regular media appearances on CNBC, Fox and CNN. Mark was previously reviews editor at Mobile Computing, and his work has appeared in Wired, Popular Science and Inc.